Raynham dog track employees in limbo

Sunday

Mar 1, 2009 at 12:01 AMMar 1, 2009 at 1:04 AM

Amid hopes that slot machines or a delay in the racing ban could save their jobs, some workers at the Raynham dog track and state officials say that few of them have begun to look for a new job or seek training.

Jessica Scarpati

Chip Pizzutti has a decade-old Ford Taurus that is on its last legs.

If that weren’t bad enough, his son’s car just bit the dust, so the two of them are sharing a vehicle that may not survive the year.

But his job might not survive another year either, which is why the 54-year-old Raynham father of two has been putting off getting a new car — unsure if he can commit to loan payments.

As an employee at Raynham Park — the greyhound racetrack that will no longer be allowed to race dogs come January — Pizzutti has put his life and any major financial decisions on hold.

Amid hopes that slot machines or a delay in the racing ban could save their jobs, some track workers and state officials say that few of them have begun to look for a new job or seek training.

There’s no telling whether they’re paralyzed by fear or clinging to hope. But most workers say they can’t accept life without the track.

“There’s always a possibility that even if the live racing goes away, slots could come in, and I might have a job,” said Pizzutti, a racing official at the track, who has not begun a job hunt.

The latest attempt to legalize slot machines proposes allowing up to 2,500 at each of the four racetracks in the state. Local officials have also lobbied to have the Jan. 1 closing date pushed back.

It appears Pizzutti is not the only one sitting tight.

Kim McLaughlin, director of CareerWorks, a career center in Brockton, said there has been no rush of track workers looking for job services in anticipation of an end-of-the-year layoff.

“There may be one or two people ... but we haven’t seen a large influx of people,” she said.

Meanwhile, one state official said his offer to help the track was rebuked by its management.

Ken Messina is the Massachusetts manager of Rapid Response, a federally-funded program in every state, which responds to companies and employees facing closings and layoffs.

Messina said his team offered three months ago to set up shop at the dog track, hoping to educate employees about unemployment, health insurance and resume assistance.

“We were ready to go, and when we started talking to the representatives of the dog track, it was evident they were trying to see if there were any alternative things to keep the track open,” Messina said.

Track owner George Carney could not be reached for comment.

After the Nov. 4 vote that made dog racing illegal, Gov. Deval Patrick signaled he would like to pursue state-funded, job-training programs and financial assistance for displaced workers.

Messina confirmed his agency has set aside money specifically earmarked to help displaced track employees.

“We haven’t spent that money,” said Messina, who declined to disclose the amount.

Pizzutti, like many track employees interviewed, said his decades-long career in dog racing has left him doubtful he could even find another job with his specialized skill set.

“So far, the ones who were going to leave already left, but everyone else is stuck here and can’t do anything else,” Pizzutti said.

Donna Hahn, 45, of Taunton, has worked in the kennels as a trainer for the greyhounds — “my babies,” she calls them — since she was a teenager.

Her truck was totaled in a recent accident, but she, too, is delaying the purchase of a new car because of job insecurity, instead carpooling with her boss.

“I know a lot of people are hesitant to do anything,” Hahn said.

She, too, has not begun her job search — hanging onto hope that someone at Beacon Hill will be able to save her job.

“I don’t want to collect (unemployment). I don’t want to sit on my butt. I need to be working,” Hahn said.

“The only places that are hiring are McDonald’s and Dunkin’ Donuts, and I don’t want to go down,” she added. “I want to move up.”

Kennel owner Mike Curran of Stoughton cares for 92 greyhounds at the track, where he has worked for 30 years.

He won’t be job hunting — not around here, at least.

Curran, 52, is a high school graduate who feels uncomfortable around computers, and says the track closing would most likely force him to move to Florida or West Virginia.

“I’ll probably have to find another track,” he said. “I don’t even want to be retrained.”